In many industries, such as the sanitary food industry, it is common to include a sanitary sampling valve in fluid communication with a material, such as milk, which must be completely cleaned from the valve after each sampling to prevent contamination and bacteria growth. In the past, it has been common to employ valve apparatus wherein the valve could be removed for cleaning, as by disassembly of a plurality of bolts or other fasteners so that the valve could be disassembled, cleaned, reassembled, and fastened back into place.
The diaphragm valve of the present invention eliminates the above mentioned difficulties in being constructed to that a cleaning fluid can be freely circulated throughout a valve chamber constructed such that the cleaning fluid is substantially completely and freely drainable from the valve chamber. In addition, the diaphragm valve of the present invention can be completely disassembled while the diaphragm valve housing or body remains secured in its permanent location.